Revenge

"Don't move."

Luo Xiyun grabbed Chen Xu's hand to stop him from touching it, then went into the room.

Chen Xu took off his scarf and checked with his phone camera. Just above his eyebrow was a tiny cut, probably from a shard of ice that had splashed up and scratched him.

Before long, she came out carrying a small white box and pulled him over to sit on the sofa.

When Chen Xu saw her take out alcohol and cotton swabs, he said, "It's just a scrape. Isn't this a bit much?"

"It's bleeding. What if it gets infected?" She dipped a medical swab in alcohol and gently wiped his wound. Seeing him frown slightly, she said, "Bear with it."

After wiping it clean, she leaned closer and gently blew on the wound.

Then, she clearly sensed the change in his gaze and breathing. A nearly imperceptible smile curled at the corner of her lips—a smile of successful revenge.

That breath she had blown was entirely deliberate.

No matter how well Chen Xu hid it normally, she could still occasionally sense the strange looks he cast her way.

Women were always exceptionally sensitive to men's gazes.

Hmph. Men. No matter how righteous they sounded, they could never conceal the filth in their hearts.

She despised him inwardly.

Until one time, when she was helping Chen Xu clean his room, she accidentally noticed that there were a quarter fewer tissues than the day before. The amount used far exceeded normal, yet there were hardly any used tissues in the trash can. It was as though that missing portion had vanished into thin air.

She finally knew how to "get back at" that bastard.

From then on, she would often pretend to accidentally make some physical contact with him. Then, the next day, she would find that the tissues in his room had been used up at a dramatically faster rate.

Whenever she thought of how he acted as though nothing had happened in front of her while secretly suffering who knew how much inside, she felt the thrill of revenge.

You bastard, so you have this day too.

She had long hated Chen Xu so much her teeth itched, but she couldn't go at him directly. Now that she had found a way to make him suffer, she simply couldn't suppress the urge.

Whenever an opportunity arose, she would find some way to tease him. Then, watching him suppress the turmoil in his heart and pretend to be calm made her feel indescribably satisfied. At last, she had vented some of the resentment in her heart.

This time was no exception.

During dinner, Chen Xu was rather quiet, looking absent-minded.

After "living together" for a month, Luo Xiyun had grown familiar with his personality. She had defined him as someone who liked to immerse himself in his own world. Clearly, he was lost in thought again.

Once she noticed that, she was no longer surprised that, during those three months, he had been able to treat her as if she were invisible.

Perhaps even if he were the only person left in the world, he would still live just fine.

He probably doesn't have many friends. He's probably been used to being alone all this time...

Luo Xiyun suddenly felt a little stifled. Finding the atmosphere somewhat oppressive, she could not help asking, "Um... that was your girlfriend, right?"

"Hm?"

Chen Xu did not react at first and looked at her in confusion.

"When I was taking out the trash, I accidentally knocked your wallet off the desk. When I picked it up, I saw there was a photo inside."

"Oh, that's my ex-girlfriend."

"Why keep a photo of your ex-girlfriend? Can't let her go?"

"I just thought it would be a shame to throw it away." Chen Xu could no longer remember why he had kept that photo. Since he had kept it, he could not be bothered to throw it out.

"What about you? How come I've never heard you mention your boyfriend?"

Luo Xiyun looked up at him and answered with a question instead. "How did you know I have a boyfriend?"

"A lot of people at the company know. Some handsome guy drives a Ferrari to pick you up after work. Things like that spread especially fast around the office."

With a mocking tone, Luo Xiyun said, "I didn't realize you liked gossiping about other people too."

"I'm just an ordinary employee. What makes you think I'd be an exception?" Chen Xu retorted.

"Hmph."

Luo Xiyun snorted coldly, clearly disgusted by all the gossip at the company. "They don't do their jobs properly and spend all day judging other people's private lives and spreading malicious rumors. Do they deserve their salaries?"

"If you think they don't deserve the salary you pay them, then fire them. Why keep them around?" Chen Xu said irritably. As an employee, he found this sort of talk from a capitalist's perspective especially grating.

Luo Xiyun was momentarily speechless. She had only spoken in anger. She also knew that workplace gossip was difficult to eliminate; it was human nature, and even replacing the entire staff would not change that.

She promptly changed the subject. "His name is Du Feng. He's an executive at a technology company and has a PhD from MIT. His parents are old friends of my family. He's one meter eighty-five, handsome, wealthy, educated, and capable. Everyone says he's the perfect match."

Chen Xu nodded. "Sounds like you two are made for each other. Not bad."

"Really? I thought you'd say I wasn't good enough for him."

Chen Xu looked at her in surprise. "Aren't you usually pretty confident?"

"I was before."

Luo Xiyun was nearly done eating. She put down her chopsticks and said, "But after meeting someone... hmph."

"You mean me?"

Chen Xu could not help laughing. "Actually, the reason I haven't been tempted by your beauty isn't because you're not pretty enough. It's because I know that there's no possibility between us. Since it's impossible, there's no point thinking about it."

Luo Xiyun asked, "Have you ever been hurt in love before?"

"Nothing that serious."

Chen Xu said, "After running into enough walls, you naturally learn your own limits. A lot of the time, all you need to do is reveal the slightest hint of interest, and they've already cut off every possible path. Some just keep you on the hook and toy with you until you're spinning in circles. Others reject you cleanly and decisively before you've even done anything."

That last sentence was clearly aimed at Luo Xiyun.

A mocking look appeared on Luo Xiyun's face again. "You retreat after hitting one nail? Is that how you chase women?"

"When you scratch off the first character of 'Thank You for Playing' on a lottery ticket, do you insist on scratching off the remaining three too?" Chen Xu countered.

"How can those be the same thing?" Luo Xiyun said somewhat agitatedly. "Sometimes, when a woman rejects you, it's just out of modesty. You should keep pursuing her. Don't you know how to cling to her relentlessly? Giving up so easily—Serves You Right for being single."

Chen Xu remained unmoved. "I think being single isn't so bad."

"That's just an excuse for you to run away." Luo Xiyun snorted coldly. "Can you honestly say there was never a time when you desperately wanted a girlfriend?"

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